Defence Minister Rajnath Singh To Visit Sri Lanka Tomorrow, Joint Military Exercises Set To Intensify

Rajnath Singh’s two-day trip to Colombo, his first as Defence Minister, comes at a time when concerns are mounting in New Delhi over the possible docking of a Chinese ship there.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in Sri Lanka on September 2 and 3, and his maiden visit to the island nation in the current capacity has been planned with the objective to intensify joint exercises of the armed forces on both sides and also to set in motion enhanced defence collaboration as New Delhi seeks to explore newer markets to sell indigenously produced warships, fighters and missile systems.

During his two-day trip, Singh will be meeting Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also holds the defence portfolio, and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. 

“The entire gamut of India’s defence ties with Sri Lanka will be reviewed during the meetings. This visit of Shri Rajnath Singh will reiterate India's continued commitment in furthering the existing warm and friendly relations with Sri Lanka. It will be an important landmark in building the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence Friday.

Singh is expected to visit Nuwara Eliya in Central Sri Lanka and Trincomalee, which is located in the eastern part of the country, the defence ministry said.

According to highly placed sources, the visit is mainly aimed at taking forward the discussions that were held earlier this year during the seventh India-Sri Lanka annual defence dialogue held in February between Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and his Sri Lankan counterpart Gen. Kamal Gunaratne.

At that time, it was decided that the tri-services of both the countries — the Army, Navy and Air Force — will chart out a strategy to hold “regular and intense” wargames. The focus, the sources said, will mainly be to bring the navies of both countries closer to each other for better coordination on maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region.

Last month, India handed over a second Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft to the Sri Lankan forces. New Delhi is now also cconsidering an idea to export defence items to Sri Lanka on “easier terms” as Colombo remains strategically important for India. Besides, India wants to ensure that Sri Lanka does not end up buying its weaponry only from Beijing.

Meanwhile, INS Delhi, Indian Navy’s first indigenously designed and built guided missile destroyer, arrived at Colombo Friday, coinciding with the Defence Minister’s visit.

READ | Sri Lanka’s Security Anchor Is India In the Indo-Pacific Context, Envoy Milinda Moragoda Says

Concerns Over Frequent Visits By Chinese Ships

Singh is also expected to officially raise New Delhi’s concerns over regular visits of Chinese vessels to Sri Lankan’s ports that continue to pose security challenges for India, the sources quoted above said.

Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6 is expected to visit Sri Lanka in October. India has been expressing serious concerns over the frequent visits of Chinese spy ships, warships and trawlers in Sri Lankan waters, the sources said.

Last year too, India had objected to the visit of a Chinese satellite tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5 to the Hambantota Port.

In an interview to ABP Live, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda said last month India is Colombo’s anchor when it comes to defence and security of that country. “We are engaging, we are working with India clearly and we have always said that when it comes to security interests, India’s security and our security are the same and that’s logical because of where we are located. Within that context we are engaging with anybody who is interested."

During Singh’s visit, both sides will also be discussing the next steps for the Colombo Security Conclave, of which Maldives is also a member. The trilateral security dialogue is headed for a significant expansion in the coming months. The secretariat of the Colombo Security Conclave will be set up there with the expanded membership.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar visited Sri Lanka in December 2022, which was followed by a reciprocal visit by Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, in May 2023. In the same month, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Air Staff, embarked on a four-day official visit to Sri Lanka.